Randall L. DePry, PhD, is a professor and chair for the Special Education Department at PSU. He previously held a tenured position at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) where he worked as an associate professor/department chair in special education. At UCCS he specialized in instructional and behavioral support strategies for children, youth, and adults with emotional and behavioral challenges. He received his PhD in 1997 from the University of Oregon where he worked with faculty and students in the Behavior Disorders program and on Effective Behavior Support (now known as Positive Behavior Support) grants.
His primary research interest is in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS), including work in social skills instruction, functional behavioral assessment, and systemic change models in schools. He was actively involved with PBIS at the state level in Colorado and was part of the Colorado Department of Education’s PBIS state leadership team. He is currently on the executive board of the Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS), an international organization that actively promotes the use of PBIS as an applied science in home, school, and community settings.